by Dianne Hales | Jun 8, 2021 | art, art history, Books, books on Italy, culture, Florence, history, Italian, Italian language, Italy, Language, learning Italian, Leonardo da Vinci, Leonardo da Vinci, Religion, Roman history, Travel, Tuscany, Web/Tech, Weblogs, women
Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo (June 15, 1479 — July 15, 1542) My quest for the real Mona Lisa began years ago in Florence when I was doing research for LA BELLA LINGUA. An art historian who befriended me casually mentioned during a dinner at her home that the mother...
by Dianne Hales | Mar 2, 2021 | art, art history, Books, books on Italy, culture, Florence, history, Italian language, Italy, Renaissance, Tuscany, Web/Tech, Weblogs, women
Italy’s dazzling pantheon of artistic geniuses seems a man’s world. Yet a few women with singular passion defied all obstacles and created important works of art. As a way of celebrating International Women’s Day, here are three artists whose stories I recount in LA...
by Dianne Hales | Dec 8, 2020 | art, art history, Books, books on Italy, history, Italian language, Italy, literature, Renaissance, Travel, Web/Tech, Weblogs, women
A guest post by Melissa Muldoon Even if you are a fan of Italy and Renaissance art, you may be wondering who Sofonisba Anguissola was, why she is important, and what would lead me to write a novel about her. Her unusual name doesn’t roll off the tongue easily. But in...
by Dianne Hales | Oct 20, 2020 | Books, books on Italy, history, Italian comic books, Italian language, Italy, Language, learning Italian, Travel, Weblogs
As we celebrate the twentieth annual Week of the Italian Language in the World, here are just ten reasons to celebrate a language that thrills the ear, beguiles the mind, captivates the heart, enraptures the soul and comes closer than any other idiom to expressing the...
by Dianne Hales | Oct 6, 2020 | art, Books, books on Italy, culture, history, Italian language, Italy, Language, literature, love in Italy, Travel, Web/Tech, Weblogs
Every October the United States celebrates Italian heritage month—with good reason. More than a mere country, Italy embodies a culture that has transformed art and architecture, language and music, food and fashion. Imagine painting without Leonardo. Sculpture...
